Exploring why the Dallas Mavericks should prioritize Patrick Beverley over Kemba Walker at point guard in free agency this summer
There has been a prevailing thought around the league that the Dallas Mavericks will pursue Kemba Walker in free agency. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer is one of the people reporting the team’s interest in Kemba Walker:
"Two sources with knowledge of the Mavericks’ thinking expect Walker, the Hornets’ three-time All-Star point guard, to be that team’s top target when NBA free-agency begins July 1."
However one can argue that the Mavericks should pursue Patrick Beverley over Kemba Walker in free agency because of Rick Carlisle uses point guards. Rick likes to use point guards in an off the ball capacity as a bystander or spot up shooter.
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One example of this was during a home game against the San Antonio Spurs when Jalen Brunson dribbled the ball to the 3-point line. Once this happened, Brunson passed the basketball to Dorian Finney-Smith who was standing on the left wing.
Finney-Smith held the ball until Dwight Powell made his way from the left block to about the elbow. After this occurred, Finney-Smith gave the ball to Powell and spent the rest of the possession in the left corner as a bystander. When Finney-Smith vacated the left wing for the corner, Brunson decided to occupy the empty spot on the left wing for the rest of the possession to be a bystander/spot up shooter.
The possession would end with Powell initiating a dribble handoff sequence with Luka Doncic. When Doncic got the ball, he used Powell as a screener to turn the corner and get to the basket. After Doncic turned the corner, Powell rolled to the basketball where he and Doncic would mistime a lob.
Consequently, Patrick Beverley would be a better fit for the organization because he is a better spot-up shooter than Kemba Walker. Beverley has shot 41 percent on spot up 3’s [(38.5 + 38 + 41.8 + 39.3 + 41.5 + 41)/6] over the last six regular seasons. This is 1.3 percent better than Walker as he has shot 38.7 percent on spot up 3’s [(33.3 + 33.1 + 44.3 + 46.4 + 40.3 + 34.8)/6 in the past six regular seasons.
Not only is Patrick Beverley the better shooter, but he is viewed as an elite perimeter defender in the league. Beverley likes to crowd the space of the player that he is supposed to guard by crouching down and leaning forward which allows him to have his shoulders at the same height of the basketball. The limited space forces a player to pick up his dribble and turn sideways.
Once this happens, Beverley goes for the steal or runs the side the player is looking at to block his path. One example of this was during his tenure with the Houston Rockets when he was assigned to guard Jrue Holiday.
Patrick Beverley allowed Jrue Holiday to dribble the basketball for about 40 feet before he entered his defensive stance. Once he entered his defensive stance, Jrue took to the left turning sideways allowing Beverley to successfully reaching in for the steal.
The presence of Patrick Beverley would give the team a lockdown defender who can guard one of the best perimeter players on the other team. Therefore, Rick Carlise can use the other players to defend the other costars. For example, if the team were to face the Oklahoma City Thunder, Beverley can guard Russell Westbrook while the rest of the team can focus on stopping Paul George.
However, it would be a different story if they signed Kemba Walker as he can easily get overpowered on defense. For example, he was assigned to guard Goran Dragic during the 2016 playoffs. Every time Dragic would bump into Walker with his shoulder or use his forearm to create separation, Walker moved a few feet back.
Walker would put extra stress on his teammates as they would have to send help if he is getting overpowered. This unleashes a series of events where the player responsible for helping Walker leaves his assignment wide open. Consequently, the other three players have to determine whether they can leave their assignment to rotate over to the open man.
If players decide to rotate over, they risk the opposing team making one extra pass to get the basketball to their original assignment for the open shot. On the other hand, if players don’t rotate over, the open man can take the uncontested shot.
In conclusion, the combination of these factors makes Patrick Beverley a better fit for the Dallas Mavericks.